Recently a study by one of the Kingdom’s leading universities highlighted the growing number of patients seeking psychiatrist help, and how business was booming for those prescribing the magic pills. The report cautioned that the findings were somewhat tentative, as no previous in-depth study had been undertaken to determine the proportion of people suffering from some kind of mental disorder. The report also suggested that regional developments and uncertainties may have led many to a life of anxiety and depression.

On reading the report, I felt that it failed to address the remedial actions that should be taken by those in the medical profession who must deal with such mental anguish. While there are psychiatrists, there seems to be little in the way of local therapeutic help, or psychiatric treatment through a concentrated study of the patient’s medical and social background.

At major private hospitals, it is not uncommon to notice swarms of patients waiting dolefully for their monthly prescriptions of mind calming medication. The psychiatrist on duty seems to have a numbers quota to fill, and patients are shuttled in and out, willingly led by a nurse through an imaginary turnstile, within a span of a few minutes with prescriptions in hand.

Somehow it seems that very little effort is made by those in this noble profession to understand the mechanics and triggers that have led the patient to seek such help. Any student of psychology or psychiatry will tell you that to treat a patient effectively, one must get to the core cause of the disturbances in a patient’s mental state. And that is before any pills are prescribed.

But here it seems to be a case of “have prescription pad, will travel”. Patients are sometimes prescribed with chemicals deadly enough to put down a horse. And this is done without prior testing of the patient’s reactions to such pills. Whether doctors are working with pharmaceutical suppliers is something that could be investigated, but what is a certainty is that there have been far too many cases of patients being prescribed the wrong medication, and especially in the field of psychiatry.

Stories of patients erroneously diagnosed and given epileptic medication when all they needed was perhaps a change of climate and some rest are not uncommon. Some women I know who suffered from post-partum depression were loaded with all kinds of mind medication. There are also cases of mind-altering medication being dispensed to patients who had a slight case of anxiety. And whether it is a matter of a psychiatrist pushing pills to get to the next patient and thus increase the revenue for his hospital, or simply incompetence on the part of the psychiatrist remains to be investigated by the Ministry of Health. While the ministry has clamped down on the ease of dispensing these medications, it also needs to establish alternative treatment such as group therapy centers and the like.

While some of us generally do a bit of research on the medication we are about to take, not all of us are so cautious or vigilant. Experience has taught us that doctors do not always know best, and patients must be alert before experimenting with new medication. Some people are very trusting of their doctors and will pop pills as instructed. And when there are severe or in some cases extreme reactions, they are generally blamed on the patient or treated as “acts of God”.

In the field of psychiatry, the problem is more intense as mind-altering drugs can be destructive and sometimes create a life-long dependency. Whether the patient’s situation really warrants such powerful medication should be determined by a serious evaluation and should not be affected by the need to process the highest number of patients or by the wheeling and dealing between physicians and drug salesmen.

And patients who have been given prescriptions for mind-altering medication for the first time should remember to get another opinion or two. When in doubt, hold off. Don’t be too eager to pop those pills, because reversing the effect of such medication is often very slow and painful.

The author can be reached at talmaeena@aol.com. Follow him on Twitter @talmaeena